Idols of the Soul (and
Other Lessons From Jesus)

Memory
Text: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
‘Who, then,
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’” (Matthew
18:1, NIV).

As human beings, we are products of
our environment, of our culture. These greatly shape our values,
beliefs, and attitudes. Whether you were raised in a big metropolitan
area or in a village with no clean water, it makes no difference: the
culture, the environment that you grew up in has greatly made you what
you are. And even if you are able to go to a new environment, the one
you have been raised in will leave its mark on you until the grave.

Unfortunately, to some degree, most of our environments and
cultures work against the principles of God’s kingdom. The world, after
all, is a fallen world, and its values, morals, and customs often
reflect that fallen state. What else would they reflect? It’s just so
hard for us to see because we are so immersed in our culture and
environment.

The work of God in our hearts is, among other things, to point
us to the values, morals, and standards of God’s kingdom. As we will
see this week, those values, morals, and standards often greatly differ
from what we have been born into and reared in. The disciples had to
learn these lessons; we do too.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for
Sabbath, May 28.

Sunday May 22

The Greatness of Humility

Who doesn’t aspire to greatness? That is, who doesn’t want to
be great or do great things? This desire doesn’t always have to arise
from selfishness or from ego or arrogance. It could simply be doing the
very best that you can at whatever you do, hoping perhaps that what you
do could even bring blessings upon others. (See also Eccles. 9:10.)

The problem, however, comes in defining “greatness.” How easy
for our fallen human minds to understand the concept in a way that
vastly differs from God’s view.

ReadMatthew 18:1-4. According to Jesus, what is true greatness, and how are
we to understand it in a way that we can apply it to our own lives?

To define true greatness, Jesus called a child to stand before
Him and said, “‘Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matt. 18:4, NKJV). Jesus didn’t talk
about being a great preacher, or a great businessman, or even a great
philanthropist. Greatness, in the sight of God, is what we are inside,
not what we do externally, though no doubt what’s inside will impact
what we do externally.

Notice, Jesus defines greatness in a way that most people in
the world don’t. After all, who wakes up one day and decides that the
greatness he or she wants in life is to be as humble as a little child?
It seems strange to us, to aspire to something like that, but this is
only because we are so tainted by the world’s principles, ideas, and
concepts.

What does it mean to be humble like a little child? One of the
indicators of humility is obedience, putting God’s Word ahead of our
own will. If you are on the wrong path in your life, then that’s
because you’re on your own path. The solution is simple: humble
yourself and get back on God’s path through obedience to His Word. If
Adam and Eve had stayed humble, they would not have sinned. It’s
interesting to consider that the tree of life and the tree of knowledge
were both located in the middle of the garden. Often life and
destruction aren’t far apart. The difference is humility.

What are some other attitudes and
ideas
we hold only because of our contact with the world, attitudes and ideas
that are in conflict with the Word of God? Bring your answer to class
on Sabbath.

Monday May 23

The Greatness of Forgiveness

One of the worst consequences of the Fall is seen in
interpersonal relationships. From Adam trying to blame Eve for his sin
(Gen. 3:12) to this moment on earth today, our race has been ravaged
and degraded by conflict between individuals. Unfortunately, conflicts
are not just in the world but in the church, as well.

ReadMatthew 18:15-35. What does Jesus tell us here? Why, though, do we
often not follow His words to us?

Let’s face it: it’s easier to go behind someone’s back to
complain about him or her than to go directly to the person and deal
with the issue. And that is precisely why we don’t want to do it,
despite being told to do it by the Lord. Yet, Jesus teaches us to go
directly to someone who has hurt us and to attempt to restore the
relationship. If the person is not receptive, then there are additional
instructions.

“‘For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I
am there in the midst of them’” (Matt. 18:20, NKJV). Look at the
context here; it is about the discipline and restoration of another
person. (We tend to apply this verse more broadly.)

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is present when a small group
is attempting to restore a believer. This is the beautiful work of
Redemption. And it begins with humbly doing the right thing and talking
directly with someone who has hurt you. This, too, would be another
example of greatness in those who do it.

When Jesus says to “forgive seventy times seven,” what He’s
really saying is that we must never stop forgiving someone. Jesus is
serious about the necessity of forgiveness, not only for others’
benefit but for our own. Look at how strong the parable is that He told
to make His point. We can be forgiven a lot of things; that’s what the
gospel is all about, forgiveness (see Exod. 32:32, Acts 5:31, Col.
1:14), but if we don’t forgive others the way we have been forgiven by
God, we can face dire consequences.

Why is it so important, then, to dwell
upon the Cross, upon the forgiveness that we have been given because of
it? If God did this for you, if this is what it took to forgive you,
how can you learn to forgive others, no matter how impossible that
forgiveness might now appear to be?

Tuesday May 24

Idols of the Soul

ReadMatthew 19:16-30. As New Testament Christians, how are we to relate to
this story today? What lessons can we take from it for ourselves?

Though not much is told us specifically about this man, we can
pick up a few salient points. He was rich, a ruler (see Luke 18:18),
and apparently a very scrupulous follower of God’s law. We can see,
too, that he sensed something was missing from his life. It reminds one
a bit of the story of Martin Luther; though outwardly a pious monk,
inside he was dissatisfied with his spiritual life and he struggled
with assurance of salvation. In both cases, the men sensed that the
great gap between themselves and God was not going to be filled by
their outward works.

“This ruler had a high estimate of his own righteousness. He
did not really suppose that he was defective in anything, yet he was
not altogether satisfied. He felt the want of something that he did not
possess. Could not Jesus bless him as He blessed the little children,
and satisfy his soul want?”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of
Ages, p. 518.

Some people might argue that, in this story, Jesus is teaching
that we receive eternal life based on our good works. After all, in
Matthew 19:17 Jesus says, “If you want to enter life, keep the
commandments” (NIV). If this were the only text on that subject, one
could make an argument here. But too many other texts, especially in
Paul’s writings, teach that the law does not save but rather points to
our need of salvation (see Rom. 3:28; Gal. 3:21-22; Rom. 7:7).
Instead, Jesus must have been guiding this man to see his own great
need of more than what he was doing. After all, if keeping the law
alone could do it, then the man would already have salvation, since he
was scrupulous in keeping it. The gospel needs to penetrate the heart,
to go right to the idols of the soul, and whatever we are holding onto
that’s an impediment to our relationship to God needs to be gone. In
this case, it was his money. Jesus notes how hard it is for a rich man
to be saved; and yet, shortly after this dialog, Luke records a
beautiful story of exactly that happening (see Luke 19:1-10).

If you were in the position of the
rich
man, and you asked Jesus the same question, what do you think He would
say to you? Dwell on the implications of your answer.

Wednesday
May 25

What’s In It for Us?

Right after the incident with the rich ruler, what happens?

“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all
and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’” (Matt. 19:27, NKJV).

Nothing in the text says what prompted this question, but it
could easily be in direct response to the rich man’s departure from
Jesus. Peter seemed to be implying that, unlike this man and others who
either rejected Jesus or stayed with Him a while and then left, he and
the other disciples had left all for Him. They were remaining faithful
to Him, even at great personal cost. Thus, the
question is, What’s in it for us?

From our perspective today, we might see this question as
another indication of how hard-hearted and spiritually dense the
disciples were (and, to some degree, that’s true). On the other hand,
why not ask a question like Peter’s? Why shouldn’t he wonder what he
would get by following Jesus?

After all, life here is hard, even for those who have it the
best. We are all subject to the traumas, the disappointments, the pain
of our fallen existence. In the 1800s an Italian intellectual named
Giacomo Leopardi wrote about the overriding unhappiness of human
beings, saying that “as long as man feels life, he also feels
displeasure and pain.”

Life is often a struggle, and the good in this world doesn’t
always even out with the bad. So Peter’s question makes perfect sense. Because
life is hard, what advantage comes to us from following Jesus? What
should we expect from making the kind of commitment that Jesus asked of
us?

Notice, Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter for selfishness or the like.
He gave him first a very straightforward answer and then the parable
regarding the workers and their wages. Though over the centuries a
great deal of discussion has ensued over the meaning of the parable,
the basic point is clear: you will get from Jesus what He has promised
us.

If someone were to ask you, “What
will
I get by serving Jesus?” what would you answer?

Thursday
May 26

“We Are Able”

To truly appreciate today’s story about James and John (and
their mom) in Matthew 20:20-27, first read Luke 9:51-56. This event
occurred when Jesus and His disciples at first set out for Jerusalem,
just days before James and John asked if they could sit on Jesus’ left
and right in the kingdom.

ReadMatthew 20:20-27. What does Luke 9:51-56 tell us about how ready James
and John were to sit on the left and right of Jesus in the kingdom?

James and John, the Sons of Thunder, were still clearly more
worried about their own future than about the salvation of those around
them, even after they had been sent out to evangelize the surrounding
areas. In its own way, this story is somewhat like what we looked at
yesterday, with Peter’s question regarding what they could get by
following Jesus.

Look carefully at Jesus’ answer here. “‘You do not know what
you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’” (Matthew 20:22,
NKJV). In other words, to be identified with Jesus’ future glory means,
first, to be identified with His suffering and death, something that
they had not anticipated and were not ready for. The fact that they
immediately answered, “‘We are able’” (Matt. 20:22) shows that they
didn’t know what He was warning them about. They would learn,
eventually.

An interesting contrast is presented here, one that we need to
think about for ourselves. As we saw in yesterday’s study, we have been
promised wonderful things, even “eternal life” (Matt. 19:29, NKJV), if
we follow Jesus. At the same time, too, the Bible makes it clear that
in this world, following Jesus comes with a cost, sometimes a very big
one. Jesus Himself later told Peter that he would die a martyr’s death
(see John 21:18-19). Many believers throughout history, and even
today, have paid a great price for following Jesus. In fact, it might
be wise to ask ourselves if there is something wrong with our walk if
indeed we have not paid a steep price for following the Lord. Whatever
the price, though, it’s cheap enough.

What has following Christ cost you?
Think hard on the implications of your answer.

Friday May 27

Further Thought:
Through the centuries some people have argued for what is sometimes
called “natural law.” Though it comes in many shapes and forms, the
idea is that we can derive from the natural world moral principles that
can help guide our actions. In one sense, as Christians who believe
that nature is God’s “Second Book,” we could accept that there’s some
truth to this. For instance, see Paul’s discourse in Romans
1:18-32 about what people should have learned about God from the
natural world. At the same time, too, we can’t forget that this is a
fallen world, and we view it with fallen, corrupted minds. So it should
be no surprise that we could come away with wrong moral lessons from
nature. For example, one of greatest mortal minds in antiquity, the
Greek philosopher Aristotle, argued for slavery based on his
understanding of nature. For him, nature revealed two classes of
people, one of which was as “inferior to others … as … a beast to a
man.” So for them, a “life of slavish subjection is advantageous.” This
is just one of many examples we can find of how worldly principles,
values, and ideas conflict with those of God’s kingdom, which is
why—regardless of where we were born and brought up—we need to study
God’s Word and from it derive the morals, values, and principles that
should govern our lives. Nothing else, of itself, is reliable.

Discussion Questions:

Jesus calls us to forgive all who hurt us. This includes
our own families. Think about someone close to you who has hurt you.
Though your scars might always be there, how do you reach a point where
you can forgive?

In class, discuss your answer to Sunday’s questions about
the clash between your society’s values and those of the Bible. How are
we as Christians to work through these differences?

Dwell more on the idea of greatness as having the humility
of a child. What does this mean to us as Christians?

As Seventh-day Adventists we believe in obeying God’s law,
the Ten Commandments, and rightly so. What, though, should the story of
the rich ruler tell us about why, however important outward obedience
to God’s law is, it’s not enough, and that true Christianity, while
including obedience to the law of God, includes more?

Inside
Story~

Coming Home: Part 1

I was introduced to the Seventh-day Adventist Church when my
mother married an Adventist. I was in my early teens when I began
attending the Adventist Church, and I really enjoyed it.

The two things that kept me going were the Sabbath School and
Pathfinder leaders and the great programs they planned. They were so
good that we kids never wanted to miss! Besides that, we knew that if
we missed a week or two, we would get a visit, sometimes from the whole
Sabbath School class!

By the time I was 15 my parents were no longer going to
church, but I kept going because I loved it so much.

The Pathfinders were planning a camporee, and I wanted to go.
The pastor drove me home so I could ask my stepdad if he would pay my
way to go to the camporee. But instead of encouraging me, he told me I
should spend my time studying instead of going camping. Then he said if
I really wanted to go on this camporee, I could pack my things-right
then-and leave for good. I gathered my things together and went home
with the pastor.

My mom's marriage failed, and she lost interest in church. But
I had found something I wasn't willing to give up. I moved in with my
grandmother, where I had lived off and on over the years. Even though
Grandma was not an Adventist, she supported me and encouraged me to
attend church.

Throughout these difficult teen years, the church pastor and
church members were my family. But the pastor left the following year,
leaving me feeling as if I had lost my own father. Things weren't the
same after that, and in time I attended church less and less often.

My grandmother worked hard weaving mats and making handicrafts
to send me to a good school. I hated to see her struggle, so I asked
the school for help. The priest who ran the school told me that they
would help me attend school if when I finished and got a job, I would
pay them back. I decided to do this. I went home and told my
grandmother that I had a scholarship. I knew this wasn't really true,
but I wanted to help her. I kept my promise, and when I graduated I got
a job to repay the school.

But the school wasn't always a good influence on me. Some of
the alumni encouraged athletes to drink alcohol. This started me on
some bad habits. I was enjoying the benefits of my athletic abilities,
but in the back of my mind I knew what was right and wrong, and my
conscience bothered me.

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